


Sun and Shadow

by Jen Hall (Greenlady)



Category: Starsky & Hutch
Genre: Alternate Universe - Fantasy, M/M
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2019-01-01
Updated: 2019-01-01
Packaged: 2019-10-01 23:37:56
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,153
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/17253521
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Greenlady/pseuds/Jen%20Hall
Summary: Hutch needs a partner by midnight, or he'll turn into a pumpkin.





	Sun and Shadow

**Author's Note:**

> Back when I originally wrote fan fiction, I used to write stories on New Year's Eve, without any preparation or planning. These stories were set on New Year's Eve, and were open ended, often involving a mystery of some kind. 
> 
> Since I've returned to writing, I decided to continue this tradition. I just sat down and started writing, and this is the result:

 

‘Hutchinson!  My office.  Now!’  Dobey bellowed.

Detective Hutchinson swung his legs down from their comfortable position atop his desk, turned in his chair, and followed his commanding officer into his office.

‘Close the door,’ said Dobey.  ‘Okay, Hutchinson.  What day is this?’

‘I beg your pardon, sir?’

‘What.  Day.  Is.  This?’

‘December 31st. Sir.’

‘Otherwise known as New Year's Eve. Am I right?’

‘Yes, sir.’

‘And, being New Year's Eve means it’s the day before New Year's Day.  Which means it’s the last day of this year.’

‘Sir.’

‘So, Detective Hutchinson, what day is this?’

‘The last day of my freedom, sir.’

‘Don’t think of it that way, Detective.   Think of it in positive terms. This is the last day – the absolutely last day – that you will work alone.  I made you a promise.  I said that I wouldn’t force a partner upon you if you would choose your own partner by the end of the year.  You have one day left.  Today. By the end of the day you will pick a partner, or I will do it for you. Am I understood, Detective?’

‘Sir.’

‘Don’t ‘sir’ me, Detective.  Not in that tone with that expression. Go out and partner hunt, like you should have been all along.’

‘I have been looking, Captain Dobey.’

‘Not hard enough.  I’ve made an appointment for you with Doctor Collandra….’

‘Captain!’

‘….in fifteen minutes in his office.  No arguments.  You’ve had months to do this on your own, and you’ve gotten nowhere.’

‘Where will a Police Psychic take me?  Nowhere.  Captain, I don’t believe in that BS.’

‘Then believe in this:  consult with Collandra, find your partner and present yourself at the end of the day all partnered up, or I’ll present you with your partner whether you like him or her or not, and you won’t like how I pick him or her.  I’ve got a stack of files here of unpartnered detectives and I’ll toss them down the stairs and hand you the one that falls the furthest.  I won’t care if you hate each other or fall in love and get married.  Get a partner. Dismissed!

Hutch hid a sigh.  He knew Dobey had the right to be out of charity with him, but he wished he could go on working alone.  He’d never been able to get along with anyone he was forced to be with for most of the hours of the day.  Not only partners but girlfriends and wives.  They just eventually bailed on him. And he had to admit his own personality had something to do with it.

He’d never been to Collandra’s office.  It looked normal, which surprised him.  No weird noises, or smells emanating from the doorway.  No fake spirits floating out into the hall as Collandra opened the door to let him in.

‘Detective Hutchinson, I presume?’ said the psychic.  ‘And no, I didn’t use my psychic powers to figure that out.  Your captain just called to let me know you were on the way, and that you’re not best pleased.’

‘Yeah. Well.  I’m here.’

‘So I see.  Okay, Detective. What seems to be the problem?’

‘I need a partner.’

‘Then go pick one,’ said Collandra.

‘Okay.  But Dobey wants me to consult with you first.  I’m only obeying orders.’

‘And I guess he wants me to pick one out of the air for you?’

Hutch couldn’t help but grin.  ‘Yeah.  I guess,’ he said.

Collandra closed his eyes. Waved his hands in the air for a moment, and then said, ‘Did it work?’

Hutch made a show of looking around.  ‘Not so far,’ he said.

‘Well, damn.  Okay, let’s try this:  give me your hand.’

‘Huh?’

‘Your hand, Detective.  I’m not macking on you.  But maybe I can read your aura or something.  I mostly work by touch. Trust me.’

Hutch held out his hand, and Collandra’s cool fingers gripped it. 

‘Sun and shadow. Sun and shadow.  Light where you are dark.  Dark where you are light.  Smiles when you frown.  Frowns when you smile.  Look in the shadows when you are in the sun.’

Collandra opened his eyes.  ‘Did I say something?’

‘Um…yeah.’

‘Wow.  I like it when that happens.  Did it make any sense?’

‘Nope.  No sense at all.’

‘Good.  Go away now.  Try to make sense of it, then ignore what I said.  Your partner will appear before midnight.  Good luck.’

Hutch got to his feet and headed for the door, muttering to himself.

‘Oh, Detective?’  Collandra said.

‘Yeah?’

‘Throwing a bunch of files down the stairs is not a better way to find a partner. Trust me.’

***********

Whenever he had the chance that day, he stared into the shadows.  The sun seemed to be keeping itself hidden out of spite, so the shadows were no help.  Finally, he took a short break to walk along the beach near his home.  The sand was cold, but he took off his boots and waded in the ocean.  Far down the beach he could see a figure walking toward him, silhouetted by the setting sun.

As he came closer, he could see the person was a man.  A man with dark hair.  Curly dark hair.  The man waved and grinned at him. 

‘Detective Hutchinson, I presume,’ he said, like an echo of Doctor Collandra’s question from hours ago.

Is this a joke, Hutch wondered? He glared at the man, with his fiercest expression. The one that was guaranteed to intimidate the toughest of perps.

It didn’t work on this guy, whoever he was.  ‘Who wants to know?’ Hutch asked.

‘Ah.  My name is David Starsky.  From the NYPD.  I just transferred here the other day, and I need a partner.  Dobey suggested you, but he told me you were anti-social and dead set against partners of the human kind.  He said he was thinking of having you transferred to the K9 unit.’

‘Very funny.’

‘I thought so, too.’  David Starsky from the NYPD stood for a moment, looking Hutch up and down.  Then he drew closer. Closer than was usual among police partners, though not unprecedented.  ‘Hmmm,’ he said.  ‘You don’t look all that anti-social.  Maybe you just need the right kind of handling.  Hmmm?’

‘What are you insinuating?’

‘I’m insinuating nothing,’ said Starsky.  ‘I’m outright offering.  I mean, I need a partner.  You need a partner. Think we can get along?’  Starsky smiled then, and the smile was devastating.  ‘It seems a match made in heaven.’

‘How did you know it was me, walking along the beach?’ Hutch wondered.

‘That’s my little secret,’ said Starsky. 

Yes, thought Hutch.  You have secrets, hidden in your shadows.  You’re the eternal mystery that I can try to solve.  If you can deal with the heat of my sun.

‘A match made in heaven,’ Hutch agreed. And he held out his hand to be clasped in a strong grip that nothing on earth could break. 

 

 

 


End file.
